Our guests at Florence Hotel Golf mustn't miss a walk through the Bargello Museum.
The building, which holds the Bargello National Museum, was constructed in 1255 and was originally a fortress and arsenal, later to become a police headquarters.
For some time it also served as a prison. The structure became a museum in 1865 where one can admire one of the most impressive collections of Renaissance sculpture in the world.
The Bargello has been the setting of many important events throughout its history including the meeting place of the Council of the Hundred of which Dante was a member.
It has seen sieges, fires, and executions, the most famous being that of Baroncelli, involved in the noted Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici family in which Leonardo also participated. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the palace went through a series of alterations preserving however, its austere simplicity.
Today, it is the setting for a collection of sculptures and other decorative art pieces.
Both its interiors and courtyard contain masterpieces of the Renaissance period.
From the medieval courtyard you enter to the first room dedicated to the works of the Florence masters including the Tondo Pitti and the Bacco by Michelangelo and the Mercurio and the Firenze vittoriosa su Pisa by Gianbologna.
After viewing the exquisite sculptures in this room, you proceed to the first floor from the stairway of the courtyard. Some of the finest works of Donatello (1386-1466), such as the Young David in marble, can be seen in the Fourteenth century hall.
Pupils of Donatello, like Desiderio da Settignano and Antonio Rossellino also have sculptures exhibited here. Other exhibits include the door panels done by Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti and for competition the Baptistery Doors for the Florence Dome in 1401. Glazed terracotta by Luca della Robbia including the Madonna done in bright blue and white, can also be admired in the museum.
The first room is the Hall of the Ivories, which contains the ivory pieces of the Carrand collection: 265 pieces dated between the 5th and the 17th centuries, among which there are sacred and pagan themed diptychs, panels, caskets, and wings.
You then continue to the second hall, named Hall of Treasures (Forziere of the Bargello) containing a collection of precious treated works, which belong to the Carrand collection. On the right, find the entrance to the Chapel of Mary Magdalene and the Sacristy, a room that was reserved to the condemned waiting for their execution. Enriching this room are the frescos from the school of Giotto.
From the Hall of Treasures you enter the Islamic Hall, which contains a collection of oriental carpets and objects.
The next room is the Hall of the Council; the heart of the administration activities of the city for about forty years after the Council of the Republic of Florence took its place. Today it contains the sculptures of the artists who lived in Florence during the 1400's. Following along we find the Hall of the Majolica's containing exemplars from the workshops of Urbino, Siena, Orvieto and Firenze.
Arriving on the second floor, the first hall is dedicated to Giovanni della Robbia: it contains terracotta sculptures and a collection of medals donated by the Dukes of Florence. Proceeding to the Hall of the Arms, find a rich collection of weapons of medieval origin.
Other halls include the Hall of Andrea della Robbia, the Hall of the Small Bronzes, the Hall of Verrocchio and the Hall of Florence Medals which contains a rich collection of medals from the Renaissance age.
The history of the city and of the age is well narrated and expressed through the works found in the Bargello Museum and draws the visitor towards an overview of an era that made Florence famous as a capital of art.